Alice Taylor to leave Channel 4
Educational games champion to start up new company; Jo Twist takes over at C4
Channel 4's commissioning editor for education, Alice Taylor, is to leave the broadcaster and start up her own company, Makieworld.
Taylor has been with Channel 4 since September 2007 and has been responsible for commissioning and championing indie games developers, signing them up to create gaming experiences to support the broadcasters education agenda.
Channel 4 has spent £4.5 million annually on interactive education content, with output that includes hit titles Privates and Bow Street Runner, and recently commissioned a new round of titles from UK developers including Zoe Mode, Proper Games, LittleLoud, Big Robot and Inensu.
According to The Guardian, Taylor's new firm will create 3D printing dolls for the 8 to 12 year-old market and be based in East London, with the first six months spent raising funding and on development work.
UPDATE: In a blog post, Taylor has detailed that fellow commissioning editor Jo Twist will continue the interactive education work. Twist had been with Channel 4 since May, and has previously held positions at BBC News Online and BBC Three.
"Dr Jo Twist will pick up the baton, which I'm obviously over the moon with: she's a towering talent, and all the Education sites, games, telly and apps will be in literally the best hands in the business," wrote Taylor. "And that's what I care about: making wonderful products for young people: long may it continue at C4."